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+--- Thread: How to fit the Uther era into the Greyhawk Timeline? (/showthread.php?tid=1443)
How to fit the Uther era into the Greyhawk Timeline? - Havard - 03-07-2013
The DA modules and the ZGG Era products are set during the years when Uther is king of Blackmoor. Greyhawk's Archbarony of Blackmoor seems to represent a time when such golden years are long gone.
Would it be possible to reconcile such apparent contradictions in the timeline?
-Havard
Re: How to fit the Uther era into the Greyhawk Timeline? - ripvanwormer - 03-07-2013
Uther lives in a time when Blackmoor has only just declared its independence from the Great Kingdom, but danger is rising in the form of such evils as the Egg of Coot and the the nomadic Afridhi.
In Greyhawk, this might correspond to approximately 320 CY, when the Relentless Horde cut off communications from the recently-independent Blackmoor and the south. For simplicity, you might assume that 1015 in the Thonian calendar corresponds to 335 in Greyhawk's Common Year.
The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer mentions a lich-lord rising to power soon after that. In Fred Weining's article in Oerth Journal #5, this was Engren Erris, the Lich of Glendour, who "made war against the legitimate sovereign while his forces besieged Castle Blackmoor."
Now, the "Ran of Ah Fooh" was almost certainly reinterpreted by Weining as "Ranial the Gaunt, Scion of Tenh," a lich (the creator of the Crown of Blackmoor) who fought the Aerdi until his defeat in the decades immediately before 1 CY. Timewise, there's no way to connect Ranial himself to any period that sounds like Uther's, but the Lich of Glendour gained his power from Ranial's crown and can be seen as his successor.
With that in mind, here's a very simple timeline:
316 CY: Svenny defeats the Zeai at Wolf's Head Pass.
317 CY: Large scale invasions by the Egg of Coot and his former servant, Engren Erris. Blackmoor Castle falls.
318-319 CY: Rovers of the Barrens are repulsed by Svenny.
320 CY: The Relentless Horde begins its eastward march.
322 CY: The Relentless Horde begins to overrun the Rover lands to the south.
325 CY: Uther's father is killed and Uther becomes Archbaron of Blackmoor. The Rovers invade the North and are defeated by Uther.
327 CY: Blackmoor Castle is subdued enough so that Uther can live in it again.
328 CY: The Egg of Coot invades and is repelled by Uther.
335 CY: The Relentless Horde occupies Blackmoor. Uther is forced to flee. Battle of Glendour against the Egg.
336 CY: Battle of Blackmoor: The Relentless Horde beaten.
In Oerth Journal #5, the Lich of Glendour eventually conquers Blackmoor and rules for over three decades before being defeated by Rua Morgaiste, the previous Archbaron's (Uther's, in this hypothetical) last heir. Archbaroness Morgaiste goes on to rule for six and a half decades before she dies. Another five archbarons rule before Blackmoor town is conquered by the Egg of Coot and an orc king (Funk I?) is put in charge of Blackmoor Castle in approximately 541 CY.
However, a campaign set in 350 CY might end up going another way entirely.
Re: How to fit the Uther era into the Greyhawk Timeline? - Havard - 03-25-2013
Excellent!
This timeline is a great starting point.
Reconciling things could be difficult, but it would also be interesting to build a timeline beyond this point where the information about Blackmoor in other parts of Greyhawk is simply based on false rumours and legends?
-Havard
Re: How to fit the Uther era into the Greyhawk Timeline? - ripvanwormer - 03-26-2013
Havard Wrote:Excellent!
This timeline is a great starting point.
Reconciling things could be difficult, but it would also be interesting to build a timeline beyond this point where the information about Blackmoor in other parts of Greyhawk is simply based on false rumours and legends?
-Havard
Sure, and keep in mind that the whole business with the Lich of Glendour ruling for three decades is only in the Oerth Journal, not in any "canonical" source, so it's apocryphal at best. From the scanty details available in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, all we know is that a lich-lord appeared in the confusion of the era, but we don't know what happened to it. It could have been defeated early on and Uther and his descendants could have ruled a peaceful and united Blackmoor for centuries to come (until fifty years ago, when Blackmoor Town was sacked by the armies of the Egg).
I also had another possibility in mind, but I hadn't gotten around to posting in this thread yet because it required a lot more research and fiddling with dates. With that introduction, here's an alternate scheme for fitting the Uther era into Greyhawk.
An alternate scheme
I picked 320 CY because it's approximately when Blackmoor became independent from the Great Kingdom and because, what with the invading horde of nomads and the rise of an evil lich-king, there's a lot going on in that period in the Blackmoor region.
However, in other threads I've described Iuz as roughly the equivalent of Zugzul (both are responsible for the sacking of Ten/Tenh, and both are patrons of evil expansionist nations). You could sync things up in what is roughly the present day, too. Somewhat arbitrarily, then, let's assume that Ten/Tenh was invaded at the same time on both worlds (582 CY and 1005 in the Thonian calendar). The big 50-year gap where Blackmoor Town is sacked and orc-ruled could be in the past, with a more productive Blackmoor in the future.
The biggest discontinuity I have with that is that Archbaron Bestmo is supposed to still be ruler of Blackmoor in 591 CY (the date the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer takes place in), but if we synchronize the Greyhawk Wars with the Afridhi invasion then Bestmo should be gone by then, replaced with Uther. Well, okay, so in the interests of fidelity to published Greyhawk sources I moved the death of Bestmo a few years ahead to 591 CY and went on from there.
So here's an alternate timeline, with a few details added as needed:
541 CY: A siege of Blackmoor by the Egg of Coot. Most of the castle's leadership flees into the Comeback Inn and the castle falls within a week.
The orc-king Funk I, with his army, controls Blackmoor Castle.
542 CY: The archbaron's wife, who has escaped to Dantredun, gives birth to the archbaron's son, Bestmo Andahar. The lord of Dantredun adopts Bestmo as his heir, but passes away soon thereafter.
562 CY (Approximate): Bestmo's wife gives birth to a boy, whom they name Uther.
571 CY: Funk I dies of extreme old age. He is succeeded by his grandson, Funk II.
578 CY: Funk II is succeeded by Funk III.
580 CY: Elven adventurers successfully take Blackmoor Castle. The orcs are driven to the tenth level of the dungeon. The Great Svenny slays Funk III. Svenny later rebuilds his Freehold.
581 CY: Marfeldt loots the town of Mosshold.
582 CY: A leader of great power and charisma rises among the northern barbarians. He calls himself Vatun, Great God of the North. The kings of the Fruztii, Cruski, and Schnai pledge obeisance and loyalty to him. Vatun defeats the Fists of Stonefist and their ruler, Sevvord Redbeard, pledges allegiance to Vatun and the other barbarian hordes. The Fists, with demonic assistance from Iuz, invade the Duchy of Tenh through Thunder Pass, besieging the town of Calbut, slaughtering every man within and enslaving the women and children. Five days later, the capital city of Nevnond Nevend falls to Sevvord and his troops. The alliance between Vatun and the Suel barbarians collapses when the barbarians refuse to invade Ratik, but Stonefist remains firmly wedded to the cause of Vatun, who is revealed to be a guise of the cambion Iuz the Old.
583 CY: Iuz returns to his capital of Dorakaa. In the month of Coldeven his demonic minions slaughter the Hierarchs of the Horned Society and Iuz adds their lands to his growing empire. Iuz conquers the Bandit Kingdoms and the Shield Lands. Battle of Critwall Bridge results in victory for Furyondy, securing the eastern borders of the realm against Iuz. Soon after, Furyondy's northern border collapses under an assault from Iuz-allied humanoids attacking from the Vesve Forest. Crockport falls, and Chendl, Furyondy's capital, is placed under siege. Sildonis becomes the new Wizard of the Wood.
584 CY: Ket allies with Iuz, and promptly attacks Bissel. The Wars end with a general peace treaty, the Pact of Greyhawk, in the month of Harvester. Teuod Fent arrives with 300 expatriate Tenha in the ruins of Ramshorn Castle in Blackmoor and they begin to rebuild it, using it as a base to raid the slave-trains of Iuz.
591 CY: Archbaron Bestmo is killed in battle against the Zeai and his son Uther becomes Archbaron of Blackmoor. Iuz launches an orcish invasion force against Blackmoor, but it is defeated by Uther.
592 CY: Blackmoor Castle is subdued enough so that Uther can live in it again. The Baronial Council is freed from the Comeback Inn and the ten baronies of Blackmoor are restored.
593 CY: The Egg of Coot invades Blackmoor again and is repelled by Uther.
599 CY: Dwarves complete construction of the Steam Bore.
600 CY: Uther declares Blackmoor an independent kingdom. A large contingent of Docrae escape slavery in Iuz and head north to Blackmoor. Battle of Glendour against the Egg. The Flying Monk burns forest.
601 CY: Battle of the Downs; Zeai barbarians beaten. Battle of Blackmoor; an invasion by Iuz is beaten back again.
602 CY: The Docrae settle in Booh.
Re: How to fit the Uther era into the Greyhawk Timeline? - Gimle - 08-22-2019
Havard Wrote:The DA modules and the ZGG Era products are set during the years when Uther is king of Blackmoor. Greyhawk's Archbarony of Blackmoor seems to represent a time when such golden years are long gone.
Would it be possible to reconcile such apparent contradictions in the timeline?
-Havard
I have myself also pondered this just recently. I haven't come very far since I have not really even been able to decide which versions of Greyhawk and Blackmoor to merge. I have mainly looked at DA/FFC + Greyhawk Folio. I started looking at the timeline in 4e Blackmoor book (which I use to mine for details), removing any entries I found irrelevant to my campaign , and started patching it together with the Greyhawk Common Year timeline. Only thing I really had to do was to reconcile that Robert I and Mikar was the same person and that Blackmoor year 0 is the same as 1CY.
My intention was to keep as much as possible from DA series and FFC. I think I have ironed out the basics but I have some trouble reconciling the Thonian Empire and the Great Kingdom of Aerdy since the latter one does not exist anymore. And the geographically closest big power at hand is the realm of Iuz. But I think changing Thonia to Iuz feel thematically inappropriate. I thought about using Furyondy as stand-in for Thonia but it does seem as a much more benelovent power than Thonia. Maybe I should just go back strictly to FFC as base line and drop Thonia and maybe also the Afridhi.
Re: How to fit the Uther era into the Greyhawk Timeline? - aldarron - 09-06-2019
Somehow I missed this thread till now. It's fascinating. If the two can be merged appropriately, it would mean Blackmoor "proper" could be re-instated withing the geography of WoG.
I think all the proposals so far are interesting and merit consideration. There's just a couple things I want to toss out for thought and see where it leads.
Setting the age of Uther far enough in the past of "current" Greyhawk would allow the use of all the Blackmoor place stettings as ancient sites and it would also explaing the main geographic differences.
The only "real" point of contact is that Robilar and Mordenkainen went to the City of the Gods. I'm no expert on these characters, but what I read about them seems to place these events around 575 CY
Robert the Ist founded the great kingdom and conquered blackmoor. The date is usually given as year 0 in the Blackmoor calendar, but this is one of those things that could be redated without much fuss.
Any "proper" calendar should also account for the independant mage wars period in Blackmoor, starting around 800 on the Blackmoor calendar.
Re: How to fit the Uther era into the Greyhawk Timeline? - aldarron - 09-08-2019
Okay, I've jumped off the deep end into this one! I have a tentative timeline and I will post a very abbreviated version below for comment.
First let me say that I couldn't even have attempted this without Ripvanwormers work - that really laid out the problems and possibilities and I'm absolutely riffing off of his excellent posts.
To make this work and fit with the Oerth Journal article, I've assumed that the Egg of Coot was finally successful with a fifth invasion - after invoking a huge seismic upheaval that resulted in the radical differences between the Greyhawk and Blackmoor maps. (I have made maps overlaying one with the other - posted on my blog https://boggswood.blogspot.com/2019/09/mapping-greyhawk-on-blackmoor.html )
This means that all of known Blackmoor history has to be in the past of present day Greyhawk.
I think there are only two dates in common to deal with - the founding of the Great Kingdom, and Robilar's Journey to the city of the Gods.
The great Kingdom date can be taken as somewhat legendary. Curiously it is given as the date Blackmoor is conquered by Robert I, and it seems odd that Blackmoor should be conquered right at the same time the great kingdom is founded.
For Robilar there is no date, except to say that Robiar is alive in the latter half of the 500's of Greyhawk, but at the time of his journey to Blackmoor, Fant is said to be the Baron of Blackmoor. If that is the Baron Fant - then Uther would still be alive and well at the "current" time of Greyhawk (circa 600), and that is completely irreconcilable with Greyhawk lore. Unless either it is a different Baron Fant, or Fant, as in the Vampire Sir Fang has once again gained control.
So those where the main issues I was dealing with. On my blog https://boggswood.blogspot.com/2019/09/blackmoor-calendar-and-oeridian-record.html
I talk about how I reconciled the problem.
The KEY is to assume that the Oeridian Record dating system of Greyhawk is one and the same with the standard Blackmoor dates.
The timeline I have is huge - but I'll post a few of the highlights here:
–644 CY:Year Zero of the Oeridian Record - the traditional Blackmoor Calendar. Early settlers begin to clear the land and establish hamlets and farms utilizing hay based agriculture. In addition to sheep, they begin to domesticate the large wild bison (grazers) that constitute one of the most common native animals in the area. The domesticated bison soon become the dominant farm animal in the Northern Marches.
Tales abound among Blackmoorians of a legendary hero, King Robert the First of Genyva, supposedly a great warlord and monarch who conquers and rules over the natives of Blackmoor at this time. Historians are divided regarding the actual existence of this character, but it is supposed he was an Oeridian warlord active in the formation of the Oeridian Confederation.
-422 CY: Suloise Mages of Power call down the Invoked Devastation upon the Baklunish. In retaliation, Baklunish spellcasters bring down the Rain of Colorless Fire upon the Suloise Imperium, transforming the empire in the Sea of Dust.
Surviving Baklunish migrate north to the shores of the Drawmidj Ocean.
-420 CY: Following the Great Reign of Fire, Pygmalion, a semi-legendary religious leader known for her beauty and sensuality, founds a cult whose theology is literally make love, not war. Her religion flourishes but is short lived however, as rivalries among her followers lead to her being kidnapped by a Jinn who is said to have lusted after her. There are those who claim Pygmalion was thereafter enchanted into an eternal slumber, others who say she escaped her captor and wanders the world in secret, bringing peace where she can but forever chased by her obsessed kidnapper.
Pygmalion and her cult are believed to have originated in the Pinnacles of Azor'alq where her central temple was said to be located along with the remnants of her priesthood.
-216 CY: Foundation of the Kingdom of Aerdy.
175 – 195 CY: Mage Wars – “Hot period”. Within a few years of arrival, the Magic Users begin to consolidate political power in the Northern Marches and fight each other. Weakened is continuous and devastates the country. Within the first 5 years, 4 major factions emerge. Much of the population decimated or flees to safer regions.
352 CY: (1972) - 2nd Coot invasion.
Blackmoor Castle besieged. Captain Krey, given the choice of death or treason, chooses treason, opens the door to the dungeon allowing the enemy to flood into the castle from below. The castle is attacked and conquered by King Funk I of the Black Hand tribe of the Black Hills. The remaining Wizards Cabal is defeated and scattered. The traitors split the loot and head north to the land of Coot.
Gertie the Dragon killed defending Blackmoor town. She is later resurrected in gratitude.
Svenson's Freehold destroyed.
Svenson and other Heroes are “exiled” to Lake Gloomy and lands south for failing to protect the town and castle during the Coot invasion.
Coot forces under the turncoat Captain Krey attack Lake Gloomy. Svenson killed defending southwest gate. He is later resurrected.
Baron Jenkins disappears while exploring the swamp.
The heroes of Blackmoor successfully lift the siege of Loch Gloomen and the tide turns against The Eggs armies.
Blackmoor barons and heroes in alliance with Elves and Dwarves mop up the remaining forces of Coot.
Baron Fant returns to Bramwald, leaving Blackmoor in the hands of the elves. Shortly after returning to Bramwald, Fant is bitten by a Vampire and becomes the notorious Sir Fang. Sir Fang enters Blackmoor dungeon.
Fnord, Scotty Debelfry, and The Wizard of the Wood head south to investigate the Monks of the Swamp and rumors about the brutal practices of the frog cult in the swamp.. They disappear and are presumed dead.
Svenson's Freehold rebuilt.
Mello builds his house.
The elven prince Noetzel institutes strict measures to ensure that the plague of vampirism is contained within the dungeon.
369 CY: (1989 AD) - A Skandaharrian army invades northern Blackmoor. Bakula leads the forces of Blackmoor to victory but dies from wounds sustained in battle. Uther proclaimed Baron of Blackmoor and Duke of Vestfold.
Duke Uther’s efforts to clear Blackmoor dungeon suffer a severe reverse as undead overrun the guards stationed on level 2. The Duke orders the dungeon sealed, again.
390 CY: Uther and allies launch an all out assault on the Afridhi in Ten. Uther lays siege to Starmorgan. In the midst of the battle, an obsidian tower springs up suddenly, cloaking the entire battlefield in unnatural darkness. The Drakon’katha, a four armed serpentine race from the underdark emerge and slaughter the forces of both the Afridhi and Blackmoor.
391 - 396 CY: More and more of their obsidian towers erupt from beneath the earth up throughout the Afridhi empire shrouding the land in darkness as legions of orcs, thousands of giant worms, and all manner of underworld monsters lay waste to entire towns, villages and cities, Toska Rusa leads her forces in a desperate holy war. Within five years Toska Rusa is dead and the Afridhi are no more.
396 CY: Drakon’katha towers begin appearing in Uther's realm. In the face of this new threat, Uther grants amnesty to all members of the sorcerous organization known as the Eldritch Underground which merges with the remnants of the Wizards Cabal to form the Eldritch Cabal.
396 - 410 CY: Pax Uther. For a time, the Eldritch Cabal and the heroes of Blackmoor are able to stem the tide of Drakon’katha expansion, but skirmishes are constant.
411 CY: Obsidian towers begin to appear throughout Blackmoor. The Cabal and Uther's forces are stretched thin and overwhelmed. Desperate, Uther sends an offer of alliance to the Egg of Coot, who refuses.
Vestfold falls.
Uther learns the Drakon’katha leader, the Sorceror King Amanset, wears an amulet that telepathically controls all the giant worms in his forces.
Drakon’katha and Purple Worms emerge from the Wizards Pit in vast numbers. Aided by the Jewel of the Sun, Uther and the heroes fight their way to Amanset where in a heroic effort, Uther slays him. Taking his amulet, Uther orders the worms to eat all the Drakon’katha. Swiftly the tide turns. All over the northlands, Drakon’katha begin to flee back into the underworld, as the worms gorge themselves on Drakon’katha flesh. Few escape.
Blackmoor is victorious, but most of the heroes are dead or dying, including Uther and his chosen successor, Grand Inquisitor Col.
Various nobles vie for power.
414 CY: The Crown of Blackmoor is recovered from the depths of Blackmoor dungeon by Engrin Eris, the sorceror of Glendour. Crown in hand, Eris raises an army and captures Blackmoor. He begins to consolidate power and rebuild the kingdom, but grows increasingly cruel and oppressive.
422 CY: Rua Morgaiste the last blood heir to the Barons of Blackmoor, unifies the resistance to Eris and leads a rebellion that ends with Eris dead.
Morgaiste becomes the first ruling Archbaroness, ruling wisely for 60 prosperous years.
437- 446 CY: Civil War in the Great Kingdom. Ivid I of house Nealex becomes emperor in 446.
482 CY: Morgaiste dies without heir. A council established to decide the matter of succession chooses Fadden of Dantrefaer over a claimant sponsored by the Egg of Coot.
Fadden confirmed as Archbaron after first being named Lord Conciliator of Blackmoor Castle, but governing authority remains with the Baronial Council. The Archbaron serves as a figurehead, in return he receives a generous stipend and a voice in the Council.
500 - 540 CY: Fadden dies following a successful reign. Three more Lord Councilors are chosen in succession; Tindell Dantrefaer, Mandras Dorentir, Wargo Trecht.
540 CY: The Egg of Coot unleashes a massively overpowered Move Terrain spell on the Crystal Peaks, moving the entire broken mountain range under the seabed around Blackmoor Bay. The resulting seismic upheaval causes the land to shift and rise, dries up seas, rivers and lakes and drastically changes the geography of Blackmoor.
541 CY: Fifth Coot invasion - following on the devastation caused by the seismic upheaval, Coots armies easily sweep across the land. Blackmoor castle holds out the longest, but falls within a week. The fifth and last Lord Conciliator of Blackmoor Castle, Pernold, dies defending Blackmoor Town from the Egg of Coot’s invading army. Surviving dignitaries and heroes retreat to the Comeback Inn. The Egg is unable to breech the Inn, but neither could anyone inside escape.
542 CY: The archbaron's wife, who has escaped to Dantredun, gives birth to the archbaron's son, Bestmo. The lord of Dantredun adopts Bestmo as his heir, but passes away soon thereafter.
581 CY: Bestmo becomes ArchBaron